Divergent

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Posts by Divergent

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  5

  Indoctrination and subordination

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there are so many gems in in search of christian freedom but i thought this section in 'indoctrination and subordination' was excellent, summing things up brilliantly, worth highlighting for anyone who hasn't read the book;.

  "the sum of the evidence is, then, that although no extreme physical isolation occurs, a very effective mental isolation is pro- duced by the organizations interpretation placed on jesus words about not being part of the world.

  the community of believers becomes quite insulated and intellectually sealed off from any source of scriptural material other than that coming from the one voice, that of the organization.

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  Divergent

  As a rule the longer one is associated with the organization the more concentrated his or her social contacts are, the more restricted friendships are to those within the organization. Even “worldly” relatives, meaning non-Witness relatives, are often gradually shunted off to a rather cool and distant relationship.

  This was true in my case. As a born-in, my life revolved around the organization & I didn't have much chance in establishing close friendships elsewhere. Then I learned TTATT & discovered that the people who I thought were my friends were actually NOT! Just a little while back, I had non-JW acquaintances & JW friends. NOW, I have non-JW FRIENDS & JW acquaintances!
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  15

  Too Much Discontent in the Congregation Part 2

  by Simon Templar in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  here is part 2..

  so you will have some understanding of the boe i will reference in future posts, the following is who they are:.

  the coordinator.

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  Divergent

  I'm interested in The Nonentity. Sounds like he might know TTATT
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  183

  JWs have more good points than bad

  by lsw1961 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  1) many who were on the destructive path have been transformed by their teachings (this includes me who was once vicious, and presumptuous and atheistic).

  2) equal monthly pay to all members of the bethel community regardless of whether they are bc members or sweepers.

  this is something that still remains as an unattainable dream for the world.

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  Divergent

  
  
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  37

  Do You Think 10% Tithing is Coming?

  by xjwsrock in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  firstly, there are cash flow problems in wt town.

  i don't think it's necessary to list all the cutbacks and layoffs, but there have been many.. their thirst for money seems higher too in my opinion.

  more entitled may be a better way of putting it.

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  Divergent

  Tithing has already been enforced upon congregations in a way, just not upon the individual publisher

  If they ever try to implement tithing for individuals, there would be a great outcry & the subsequent damage would be irreversible. I believe that such an outrageous move would have a reverse effect - where many who give would actually stop giving in protest. I believe that it would also lead to a start in global decline, instead of the decline that mainly affects developed & affluent Western countries

  I would actually love to see the organization try to implement tithing. Am sure many would wake up as a result!
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  17

  Too Much Discontent in Congregation Part 1

  by Simon Templar in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am seeing and hearing many, many long-time jws openly expressing problems with either the watchtower society itself, the publications, changing doctrine, incorrectly living their lives as a result of bad doctrine, the behavior of the boe and other related things.

  i will share some of these things in several posts, because there are just too many of them.

  the complaints that i hear from publishers and pioneers are many.

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  Divergent

  Discontentment leads to Doubts, Doubts lead to Dissent, Dissent leads to Disassociation / Disfellowshipping / Drifting away!

  Love all those 'D' words! =)
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  14

  What is it like to have that one true friend?

  by My Name is of No Consequence in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what is it like to have that one true friend?

  growing up in the org, i never really had friends.

  i had many acquaintances, some of which were worldly.

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  Divergent

  I was a born-in JW & am currently in the midst of fading. Waking up made me realize that I have only a few true friends in my life (no thanks to Watchtower!) My best true friend is a non-JW, like most of the others. The beauty about our relationship is that not only do we relate & get along well with each other, but we can talk to each other about ANYTHING without being judged. No subject is taboo. She accepts me for who I am, and I accept her for who she is. There are no pretences in our relationship. And the astonishing things is that I have only known her for less than a year! Compare that with the "friends" I have known for almost my whole life as a JW & yet can't be close to at all!
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  18

  Tight pants, colored socks, blue shirts, beards, wire -rimmed glasses...

  by Muddy Waters in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  tight pants, colored socks, blue shirts, beards, wire -rimmed glasses... .

  does anybody remember any thing else that was once or still is proscribed against faithful j-dubs?

  when brothers in our kh started wearing different colored shirts rather than white, it caused a great stir and ruckus.

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  Divergent

  Sleeveless & tight dresses + tops are worn by those who are spiritualy weak!

  
  
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  29

  What actually DID you learn?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my jw friends that still speak to me, tell me that they love the meetings because of the things they learn.. i wonder what they think they're learning?

  it an avenue that always perplexes me because their replies are just so wishy washy or i get a blank stare when i ask.. what's you r experience?.

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  Divergent

  I've learned more in the past 8 years of fading than I did in over 30 as a dutiful JW.

  And I've learned more in the past 1 yr+ of fading than I did in over 20 as a born-in JW
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  29

  What actually DID you learn?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my jw friends that still speak to me, tell me that they love the meetings because of the things they learn.. i wonder what they think they're learning?

  it an avenue that always perplexes me because their replies are just so wishy washy or i get a blank stare when i ask.. what's you r experience?.

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  Divergent

  Err... I learned that it wasn't the truth?

  Obviously...

  Let's see... what else...

  You know what? Most of the things that I learned are irrelevant in my daily life. After all those years of growing up in the truth, I can't even answer this simple question! There is nothing profound that I have learned that has actually helped me in life. It's all to do with pleasing an organization & putting on appearances!
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  28

  EXTREME HYPOCRISY in this Sunday's study article!!!

  by Divergent in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  wow, what a disturbing study article this was!

  this was by far the most difficult study that i ever had to sit through.

  just take a look at what the article has to say about how blood should be viewed according to our conscience:.

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  Divergent

  Wait... you mean the GB has a conscience???